(The following article by Philip Newman was posted on the Flushing Times Ledger website on October 23.)
NEW YORK — With the arrival of the new year, Queens residents will get a break when they ride the Long Island Rail Road for weekend trips within New York City.
Starting Jan. 10, passengers will be able to pay $2.50 for one-way tickets on weekends anywhere the LIRR travels within city limits in a pilot program that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to operate until the end of June.
“This service is a result of the MTA board?s desire to provide customers with additional affordable transportation options,” said MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow.
“During the public hearings on the fare and toll increases earlier this year, Mayor Bloomberg and other elected officials asked if we could develop additional benefits for our riders,” said MTA Executive Director Katherine Lapp. “City Ticket and the new balance protection insurance for 30-day unlimited ride MetroCards are two programs that benefit customers and make mass transportation more affordable.”
For example, the LIRR full off-peak fare charged on Saturdays and Sundays from Bayside and Flushing to Penn Station is $4.75. From Jamaica to Penn Station, the fare is $3.75. With City Ticket all destinations in New York City on weekends are $2.50.
“Over the six-month pilot period of the City Ticket, customers will be surveyed to assess usage, cost, revenue and impacts on customer service,” said John McCarthy, an MTA spokesman, Customers also will be encouraged to comment on the new fare.
The City Ticket will also be available on the Metro-North Commuter Railroad.
The LIRR City Ticket will be available at Penn Station, Woodside, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Flushing-Main Street, Murray Hill, Broadway, Auburndale, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, Jamaica, Hollis, Queens Village, Flatbush, Hunters Point, St. Albans, Locust Manor, Rosedale, Laurelton, Flatbush, Nostrand Avenue and East New York.